In wireless networks, system power consumption during transmission is typically dominated by the current consumption of the transmit power amplifier. Power consumption can be reduced if the output power is reduced. However, reductions in output power impact the upstream transmission range.
Therefore, as a practical matter, output power can be reduced only if the transmission distance (e.g., from a user terminal to an access point) is short relative to the maximum distance if the highest rate. Unfortunately, though, even with short transmission distances, reducing output power can have adverse effects on network behavior. As an example, reducing output power may create “hidden nodes” meaning other devices in the network may not be able to detect the transmissions and may, thus, may communicate in an interfering manner.
Thus, what is needed is a technique to reduce power consumption while avoiding adverse impact on network behavior.